Italiano — the possible conditional
The second type of the Italian conditional describes a situation that is possible or hypothetical but not certain. The pattern is se + imperfect subjunctive in the if-clause and the simple conditional in the main clause: Se avessi tempo, verrei con te.
How it works
The if-clause takes the imperfect subjunctive (avessi, fossi, potessi), and the main clause takes the simple conditional (verrei, sarei, potrei). Either clause may come first, and the meaning stays the same: Se studiassi di più, passeresti l'esame = Passeresti l'esame se studiassi di più.
Examples
| If-clause (se + subjunctive) | Main clause (conditional) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Se avessi tempo, | verrei con te. | If I had time, I would come with you. |
| Se piovesse, | resteremmo a casa. | If it rained, we would stay home. |
| Se fossi in te, | non lo farei. | If I were you, I wouldn't do it. |
| Se studiassi di più, | passeresti l'esame. | If you studied more, you would pass the exam. |
| Se potessimo, | ti aiuteremmo. | If we could, we would help you. |
| Se lo sapessi, | te lo direi. | If I knew it, I would tell you. |
Good to know
A frequent mistake is using the present indicative after se, as in the real-condition type. Here the if-clause is never indicative: say Se avessi tempo, not Se ho tempo, verrei. The indicative belongs to the certain condition (Se ho tempo, vengo).